Inductees, from left, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas and Greg Maddux pose with their plaques at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 27, 2014 in Cooperstown, New York. ( Jim McIsaac, Getty Images)

The 2014 Hall of Fame class is among the best is recent history. The players who were inducted are Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. The managers in this year’s class included Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa.

Maddux finished his career with a 355-227 record. He also was an 18-time Gold Glove winner and won the Cy Young Award four times.

Glavine, a teammate of Maddux’s at Atlanta, is another 300-game winner. He finished his career with a 305-203 record. Glavine was a five-time 20-game winner and captured the Cy Young Award twice. Glavine also knew his way around the plate, winning the Silver Slugger Award four times.

Frank Thomas was the only position player in this year’s Hall of Fame class and had one of the best nicknames in the game, “The Big Hurt.” I mean, how awesome is that nickname?

Thomas was known for swinging a big piece of lumber at the plate and put up unreal numbers. He finished his career with 521 home runs and was a lifetime .301 hitter. Thomas won back-to-back AL MVP awards in 1993 and the strike-shortened 1994 season.

Maddux had some prankster in him to go with his talent, with a fart joke reference as well as making fun of former teammate John Smoltz’s receding hairline over the years.

Below you will find full videos from the induction ceremony at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.​

Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs signs autographs before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 25, 2014 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (David Banks, Getty Images)

Spotlight on… Anthony Rizzo, first baseman, Cubs

What’s up: The Cubs may look like a bunch of prospects pointing toward 2016, or thereabouts. But Rizzo is a legitimate star and he’s maturing into a legitimate power hitter. After the Cubs beat the Cardinals 7-6 at Wrigley Field on Friday, Rizzo was hitting .285 with 55 RBIs and 25 home runs, most in the National League.

Background: In 2008, soon after being drafted by the Boston Red Sox, the 18-year-old Rizzo was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After going through six months of chemotherapy, he was declared free of cancer. That made what he did Tuesday even more compelling. Just hours before the Cubs played the Padres, Rizzo visited the cancer ward at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. That’s where he met a 22-year-old cancer patient named Mike. Rizzo didn’t promise to hit a home run for Mike, but according to the Cubs’ website, Rizzo said he would certainly try. Rizzo then blasted two homers that night.

Saunders’ take: Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau was the favorite to win the fans’ vote for the final spot on the NL all-star team. He was beaten out by Rizzo, who drew 8.8 million votes. When it happened, I shrugged it off as typical Chicago politics and the city’s historic reputation of being able to “get out the vote.” But the more I looked at Rizzo’s game, the more I realized what a good young player he is at age 24. The Northsiders haven’t had a lot to cheer for of late, but Rizzo is the real deal.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.